Vehicles typically include a number of electronic systems such as an audio system, a mobile telephone system, a navigation system, video entertainment system, etc. Along with those systems, digital media storage devices (i.e., digital audio/video players or MP3 players) may be setup in the vehicle for a user to access digital audio or video content stored on the digital media storage device. A conventional digital media storage device includes a data storage device (i.e., memory) and an embedded software application that allows a user to transfer media files to the player and create custom lists of selected media files, referred to as playlists. Media files may be transferred to the memory of the player from various sources, including disks (e.g., CDs, DVDs, etc.) and Internet sites. Most players are configured to be coupled to a personal computer via a connection port (e.g., USB port, parallel port, serial port, etc.) in order to transfer media files. The media files typically include data, referred to as meta data, which identifies the contents of the file. For example, with digital audio files, such as MP3 files, the meta data comprises a tagging format which may include the title of the song, the artist's name, the title of the album, track number, genre, etc. The tagging format for MP3 (i.e., MPEG Audio Layer III) files is commonly referred to as ID3.
A digital media storage device is typically configured to include a memory having one or more media files stored therein. A digital media storage device in a vehicle may be configured to be coupled to or integrated with other vehicle electronic systems, such as the audio system, for playing the media files from the player. In one known configuration, a digital media storage device may be connected via an analog audio output (e.g., a headphone jack) from the digital media storage device to the auxiliary input of the vehicle's audio system, such that the playback is controlled by the controls of the digital media storage device. In another known configuration, the digital media storage device's control interface is coupled to the control interface of the head unit of an audio system (i.e., radio), in addition to connecting the analog audio output of the digital media storage device to auxiliary input of the vehicle's audio system. In this configuration, the user can control the playback of the media from the head unit of the audio system. Yet, in another configuration, an audio system may include a database of meta data about certain media files. The audio system is configured to determine the meta data of a media file based on a unique identifier relating to that file.
It would be advantageous to provide a system for extracting meta data from a digital media storage device in a vehicle that is configured to: 1) establish a communication link between a control module and a digital media storage device; 2) identify media files stored on a digital media storage device; 3) retrieve meta data from a media file of the digital media storage device upon receiving a command from a user; 4) automatically retrieve meta data from a media file of the digital media storage device upon establishing a wireless communication link with the digital media storage device; 5) generate and/or update a database of meta data based on the meta data extracted from the digital media storage device, including converting the information to phonemic representations so that a user may access and manipulate the media files via voice commands and speech recognition; 6) audibly list the meta data entries of a media file based on an audible command of the user; 7) generate a second database of meta data using the meta data extracted from a second digital media storage device, wherein the meta data of the first digital media storage device is retained across power cycles, thereby eliminating the time consuming process of extracting meta data each time a digital media storage device is connected to the system; and 8) provide for the use of multiple databases concurrently, for example, when two or more digital media storage devices are linked to the control module concurrently.